Things have moved on a bit, I just wasn't paying attention.

[martybabe]

With the Bikeoi done and dusted I headed home with a few thousand others, unlike the trip down though, the weather turned to shit as I headed north from Bulls with a couple of hundred ks to go.

I'm a pussy for sure, I don't ever set out in the rain if I can avoid it, why would I, I've had my day in the rain,years and years and hundreds if not thousands of miles being pissed on from the heavens in bleak English winters n springs n summers n autumns.

Any way, I'm thinking of the bad old days in the 70's when the rain would take precisely 2.3 minutes to find it's way to my crotch when I noticed my 2 year old, $900 jacket had turned translucent and was not only letting the water in it was bloody wicking it in.

My six month old armored Pants, never before used in the rain, were as wet on the inside as they were on the outside.

My brand new $600 waterproof boots, we're talking maiden voyage here, had water sloshing around inside within 15 minutes, I mean WTF.

The only thing that made the journey even close to bearable was a $20 warehouse yellow plastic coat that I'd fortunately stuffed under the seat for just such an occasion.

35 years on from my first drenching and I'm thinking nothings bloody changed. Waterproof still means maybe and being cold and wet for hours on end still really sucks!

But something had changed, it took me a while to put my finger on why this miserable experience was so much better than it used to be. Tired, cold fed up and wet through, struggling to see any distance in the dark through the spray, I came upon a load of debris in the road. Dunno what it was, logs, bricks, blown truck Tyre but I grabbed a hand full of brakes and they bloody well worked and I mean instantly. Way back when there was a horrendous delay whilst the brakes dried, you could literally pull the lever with all your might and nothing at all would happen!

I flung the bike left and right as I slalomed through the crap and it stayed on course like it was on rails, the tyres worked, they had worked all along at incredible lean angles, not a hint of letting go, rewind to 1976 and I'd have been on my arse for sure. A mere hint of moisture was to much in the bad old days, yet here I was doing bike acrobatics in a virtual river, incredible.

So what had really changed ,subtly and over many years was my confidence in my machine to do what was asked of it in all conditions, I had been riding at speeds and angles I couldn't have dreamed of all those years ago and despite my lousy gear I was bloody well enjoying the ride.

I rode cold wet and frightened back then, now I'm just cold n wet. I shall no longer hide from the black clouds of NZ ,riding in a deluge holds no fear for me, in fact it's an adventure, I've just got to find some bloody gear that keeps the rain out, all of the bloody rain, all of the time!

[Big Dave]

You can get rain over-suits and plastic suits that work really well from about $50.
A plastic bag between boot and sock makes all boots waterproof. Washing up gloves under leather makes them waterproof too.

Your options ramp up in price from there. To around $2.5K.

http://kiwiriderproducts.blogspot.co...ld-tested.html

[cowboyz]

I "borrowed" (ie.. not alot of chance of him getting them back in the near future) a dryrider wet weather suit from Meanie. Its a one piece and I rode 18hours in the rain on the grand challenge and only got my socks wet (must fix hole in boots). PITA climbing in and out of though but work real good.

[martybabe]

You can get rain over-suits suits that work really well from about $50.
A plastic bag between boot and sock makes all boots waterproof. Washing up gloves under leather makes them waterproof too.

Your options ramp up in price from there. To around $2.5K.

http://kiwiriderproducts.blogspot.co...ld-tested.html

Thanks for the link BD. Interestingly, those are the exact same boots that I have,annoyingly, I paid a bloody sight more for them than that too and they gave up all pretense of being waterproof within 15 minutes. It must be me! Mind you some of the water in the boots can be accounted for from the water that ran down the inside of my Ghey waterproof pants I guess.

Perhaps a one piece plasticy thing is the answer, nothing got through that warehouse special jacket.

Cheers again.

[Big Dave]

I think all boots fail once they have been grounded out once too many times.

So far the XR's are still pretty good. No leakage yet.

It wasn't running down your leg and in through the top was it? Happens if the outers are too short.

[Big Dave]

I just sent this draft ad to Chris for approval too - I'm going to have a look at the Rev-it trousers with Burt Munro on a full dresser in mind.

This is for the next round of mags - so might not be in stock just yet.

[ital916]

I rode on wednesday from wellington. All nine hours in rain. I had on a revit warp jacket and rev it rain overpants on top of armoured pants. I had sidi canyon boots on and a rjays gp2 helmet with some rev it gloves.

I did not get drenched. Yes I had an odd wet patch here or there, but for riding in the rain for nine hours, I expected as much. My hands were wet, as nine hours of heavy rain eventually gets through the waterproof layer. I would say any garment would be max 90% waterproof, unless it is a specific rain overjacket/pant as the garments must be able to breathe as well (which specific rain clothing does not do).

I got home, happy, and reasonably dry.

You just have to get quality gear. How long have you had your gear? Go to dealer and talk to them.

Note: most of my gear is going on two years old now, bar the canyons which are one year old.

[AD345]

yep the rain sucked. I reckon I tipped 3 litres out of my boots at Tokoroa.

God bless heated grips though. Fingers nice and toasty meant I could at least change gear and the like.

[Crisis management]

Go with the oversuit, I've ridden in all sorts with it and apart from a damp neck have been dry all the way, the best $100 I spent. My sidis don't leak either, the only time they get wet inside is when the river crossings are deeper than I expect.

[cheshirecat]

But something had changed, it took me a while to put my finger on why this miserable experience was so much better than it used to be. Tired, cold fed up and wet through, struggling to see any distance in the dark through the spray, I came upon a load of debris in the road. Dunno what it was, logs, bricks, blown truck Tyre but I grabbed a hand full of brakes and they bloody well worked and I mean instantly. Way back when there was a horrendous delay whilst the brakes dried, you could literally pull the lever with all your might and nothing at all would happen!

And - - - the buggers don't tail wag if you even so much think about braking or hitting a bump on a corner

[Ixion]

Safety shop jacket, army surplus boots, warehouse $12 pants.

Road from Palmy to Auckland on Wednesday, not a leak. Home warm and dry.

Took many years to find the right combination though.

Only dampness was when I was chopping up the trees across the road, the water on the branches over my head ran down my neck (i'd taken the helmet and jacket off, cos I got hot doing all that chopping with a blunt hatchet.)

[Big Dave]

Safety shop jacket, army surplus boots, warehouse $12 pants.

Looking like Ixion: Priceless.

[martybabe]

I think all boots fail once they have been grounded out once too many times.

Fresh out the box Dave ! I'll give em another go when they eventually dry out, with hindsight, there may have been a fair amount getting in over the top.

I rode on wednesday from wellington. All nine hours in rain. I had on a revit warp jacket and rev it rain overpants on top of armoured pants. I had sidi canyon boots on and a rjays gp2 helmet with some rev it gloves.

I did not get drenched. Yes I had an odd wet patch here or there, but for riding in the rain for nine hours, I expected as much. My hands were wet, as nine hours of heavy rain eventually gets through the waterproof layer. I would say any garment would be max 90% waterproof, unless it is a specific rain overjacket/pant as the garments must be able to breathe as well (which specific rain clothing does not do).

I got home, happy, and reasonably dry.

You just have to get quality gear. How long have you had your gear? Go to dealer and talk to them.

Note: most of my gear is going on two years old now, bar the canyons which are one year old.

9 hours ! Good for you mate, that's dedication to the cause, I wonder who travelled the furthest that day.

yep the rain sucked. I reckon I tipped 3 litres out of my boots at Tokoroa.

God bless heated grips though. Fingers nice and toasty meant I could at least change gear and the like.

3 litres, hahaha, been there mate, perhaps my wet socks weren't so bad. I hear ya on the grips. I was so uncomfortable I didn't want to change gear any more for fear of letting some cold rain in to mix with the warm rain I was already carrying inside my clothes.

Go with the oversuit, I've ridden in all sorts with it and apart from a damp neck have been dry all the way, the best $100 I spent. My sidis don't leak either, the only time they get wet inside is when the river crossings are deeper than I expect.

Aye, I think I'll go with the simple approach, all those pockets and zips and stuff can't be helping the waterproofness, a one piece plasticy layer should keep the worst of it out eh.

And - - - the buggers don't tail wag if you even so much think about braking or hitting a bump on a corner

Oh hell yes, then there's the drum brakes that were sodden so you'd press the pedal and sod all would happen then they'd suddenly grip, lock the wheel and send the arse of the bike round to meet the front. Happy days

[vifferman]

It's a bit of a gamble whatever you choose. I used to have some Line7 bike pants (same as the bike cops wore). They were PVC, and designed specifically for bikes, so unlike the yeller Warehouse ones, they didn't flap around as much. Some prick stole them somewhere along the line.
Next attempt was a lurid purple'n'green two-piece nylon suit I bought to ride to Chch from Hamilton in early September 1994. It fit over my leather jacket and ski pants, and kept much of the rain out, but the zip blew out after a few months, as did the replacement a few months later. Pants were OKish though, once some elastic was added to the bottom to loop under my boots.

Next thing I tried was a one-piece suit. It was wonderfully waterproof, but didn't breathe at all, so was useless except at night or on a dull winter's day. Even the merest glimmer of solar radiation rendered it a broiling bag. It also required some gymnastics to get on. I wore it a few times and sold it.

Next attempt was a Teknic Hurricane jacket and some Motoline pants over my leather ones. Brilliant! However, after a few spills and alterations, the jacket required frequent applications of Scotchgard to keep the water out of the hybridised leather/cordura beastie. Pants were great (never ever leaked, but were slightly slippery on the seat. Orina (should be "urine-aaarghh!") gloves were tried and discarded. Current gloves are either Spidi Ravens or Spidi SportComp H2Out - both good, but the Ravens are a bit short in the cuff.

Current jacket is Macna summit - a four-seasons leather jacket with thermal and waterproof liners. It was a fortress against the elments for over eighteeen months until the last heavy rainfall I rode in. I don't think it leaked so much as allowed water to trickle down behind the front flap until it found an entrance. Must investigate and fix that, as a cold, spreading dampness centred on the bellybutton is most unpleasant. Pants are Spidi Gran Turismo, and have been great for the last few years, apart from the fact that when not wearing the thermal liner, water running down between the outside cordura and goretex is rather indistinguishable in feel from water leaking through.
Boots are StylMartin StyleSafe, and wonderful: never too hot, too cold or too damp.

[McJim]

I stayed indoors - my house is waterproof